So, in my last post I told the story about how I was surrounded by an angry pack of dogs and ultimately bitten twice by a German Shepherd. If you haven’t read about that experience yet, be sure to click here. After I was bitten by the dog – and the initial shock of the situation – we found our way to a friend’s house and told them about what happened. The dog hadn’t done terrible damage to my leg. However, he did break the skin and my pant leg in the area around my knee and hip. This, of course, meant that I would have to get the dreaded rabies shot. If an animal breaks the skin when biting you, his saliva, which may contain the rabies virus, also gets in your blood stream. Basically, if he’s got rabies – so, now, do you. Now, my whole life, all…

…Or why I’m (irrationally) afraid of dogs Today, as I was bringing the trash outside, I had a moment where I audibly gasped as fear rippled through my body. I’m not exactly a fearful person, but the sight of an unexpected, large dog only 15 feet away from me and headed my direction will cause it every time. Truth is, I’m undeniably and irrationally afraid of dogs. In fact, one time I was literally standing on a 40 degree roof of a house and was seized with fear because I thought I heard a dog coming at me! I guess that’s the problem with irrational fear – it’s not rational. I haven’t always been afraid of dogs. Growing up I liked dogs. At my friends’ houses I wasn’t afraid to pet their dogs. And I certainly didn’t seize up with fear if I saw one. But we never had a…

With my first daughter I went through breastfeeding “hell” in the first 6 months. Besides nurses latching her wrong, which resulted in 2 months of sharp pain, I had no clue what was wrong, why she was losing breast, why she never seemed satisfied with nursing, etc. It was 2008, just after the melamine scandal broke in China, and I was terrified of any formula (even though she had to be given formula in the first 24 hours at the hospital), so I bit my lip and suffered through pain and exhaustion in order to make breastfeeding work. And it did. I breastfed her for 2 years and she was weaned 2 weeks after her 2nd birthday. Only years later, when I had my 3rd child, did I realized that she was lip-tied (her tie broke when she fell down on her face at the age of 2 – I…

Living or traveling to a foreign country can be quite scary especially when you need medical aid and the people around don’t speak English. If you are traveling to China or planning on living in China, here are some helpful hints that will make navigate the Chinese health care system: Tip 1: Where to go in case of an emergency In case of a medical emergency, the main concern most people have is where is the closest hospital. In China, you can’t just ask where is the closest hospital to treat my emergency. Hospitals function slightly differently in China. Not all hospitals will accept all types of patients. Many times patients arrive at the hospital only to be diverted to another hospital. Hospitals have specialties and mostly, only children hospitals will accept children. So, it is a good idea to find out which hospital will treat your problem before setting…

Expatriates from Western nations who arrive in China for the first time to work and raise a family may feel overwhelmed by the differences in lifestyle and language. But the easy availability of international schools which use English as a medium of instruction removes all worry about education. The cultural barrier is the most difficult to surmount for adults as children are able to adjust much more easily as they come in closer contact with local culture among school friends. Discipline and Respect As an expatriate you know that Chinese culture is very different from yours and may worry that children will feel alienated when they go back home, but the rich cultural heritage of China can teach them valuable lessons in discipline that they will not learn elsewhere. As a parent you can help your children learn the positives of both cultures so they grow up to be more…

Woman’s body is a very fragile and a complex system. A woman needs to spend a lot of time for our regular checks and consultations to keep a check on our system and remain healthy. Choosing gynecologist can be slightly stressful for a woman as she needs to be prepared to share some intimate information with the doctor if necessary. On the whole, a gynecologist may play a significant role in a woman’s health. China is a country which relies on a lot on their traditional Chinese medicine along with the use of advanced technologies. Gynecology in China – China is one of the most developed countries in terms of technology, but they give a lot of importance to their traditional methods of treatment. Chinese medicine handles the gynecology as complicated procedure in which they try to take a deep insight into the problem. Apart from directly treating a…

Planning a vacation to China with the entire family is not so easy, especially if you’re traveling with kids. China is a wonderful place to visit with its many historical buildings, ethnic culture and local cuisine, not to mention the Great Wall; however your kid’s needs and requirements have to be taken into consideration too before you can plan your sightseeing itinerary. Here are a few child-friendly tips to keep in mind while traveling with your children to China: What to pack Apart from carrying any particular or specific brands of food or toiletries that your kids are used to, you can find almost everything in China’s local supermarkets so traveling light, especially with kids, would be preferable. If you are visiting China’s upscale cities like Beijing and Shanghai then you will have no problems finding western brands of goods that your kids are used to. But if you are…

China is constantly changing and adapting to the rest of the world. However, it is important to have patience and understanding when it comes to certain medical procedures that are still new here. VBAC (Vaginal Birth After C-section) is an example of one of these procedures. Here are few things you need to know if you’d like to attempt a VBAC in a Chinese hospital: Advocate for yourself and investigate which hospitals and doctors are pro-VBAC. The doctor will be the one to give the green light to the hospital, so they don’t suddenly push you towards the C-section. Be mentally ready that you won’t get much assistance during contractions. And be aware that they may not really monitor the baby during labor: in the 16 hours I was at the hospital, I only had the monitor hooked up once at the very beginning. They did mention they would monitor…

China’s growth as an economic superpower has opened up opportunities for several multinationals to set up operations here and bring their countrymen to run these branches. It is not surprising for local residents to now have expatriates working as colleagues in these multinationals instead of seeing them as just tourists. The centuries old culture of China that has remained unaffected continues to shock and intrigue expats as they try to assimilate themselves into the surroundings. Greeting and acknowledging people in China – The usual practice of greeting people in China is putting a smile to those lips and bowing your head down in acknowledgement along with verbal greeting of “hi hao” and “nin hao”. Though shaking hands is not a common greeting among Chinese culture, they have started to practice it with their Western counterparts. To increase familiarity with each other, expats may get invited to their Chinese colleagues’…

Moving to China may seem like a daunting task if you have lived in Western nations but lucrative pay package and a luxurious lifestyle lures many to its shores. Though culturally and language wise there may be many challenges, there are several expats from all across the world living in these large cities and have assimilated themselves to local life. Before moving to China for a job assignment, expats should research cost of living in the country and make sure whether it suits there standards or not. Though the cost of living China is low when compared to Western nations, it is increasing rapidly in large and developing cities . For an expat, the salary can be low or high depending on the kind of life they try to lead in China and their attempts to recreate similar lifestyle practices that they are used to. Basic expenses in China –…